Bridge Our Lives
by violet2971
Summary: It's getting out of hand at Academy where the school has been split into two sides! When an agreement is made to transfer a student, all hopes rest on her to reconcile the broken relationship. If not for her, then at least for the school's sake... (Messed up. Be back soon.)
1. Prologue: The Year Before

**~BRIDGING TWO SIDES~**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.**

* * *

Prologue: The Year Before

The commentator clutched his gingham hat to his head as the speed of the wind picked up. He was higher up than the rest of the students and representatives, in a box over-viewing the whole grounds and thus victim of the air currents that had picked up for the final match.

"This is it." He talked briskly still struggling with his hat. "The final match between Eagle Crest and Sparrow Academy in the annual tournament is about to commence. Both sides are tied with equal scores. This round will decide which school will be victorious of tournament 2015... But before that Michael, would you like to give us a quick history lesson on the two teams."

"Just start already!"

The commentator 1 handed it over to Michael, sweating profusely, they were delaying a very important match even if they were just doing their jobs.

"Thank you Tom. It seems the crowd is on the edge. And they would be seeing as Eagles and Sparrows have been " _ **friendly"**_ rivals ever since the two schools opened. To the left we have the Eagles and their Headmaster Leltoy. To the right we have the Sparrows and their Headmaster Kazami."

Cheers and boos followed the announcement. It's very easy to guess which side was cheering for which.

"It's been one very eventful week. The Sparrows conquered in the 'Forest Run' and 'Sharp shooting'. The Eagles countered with their victories in the 'Canoe Race' and 'Rock climbing'. Now it all comes down to who will win the dreaded..." He spoke spookily into the mike, bending down to eye level with the mike, hands palm down on the table.

Baseball Throw Down. Dun. Dun. Dun."

"Hasn't the Eagles beat the Sparrows in this match every year?"

The sparrows glared at the commentator wishing they could shut him up. Not helped by the cheers and snickers of the Eagles.

"That's right Tom. Their Thrower Billy Gilbert has one mean throw and their newest member Dan Kuso is supposed to have never missed a ball. Will this be another win to commemorate the Eagle's fame? Let's watch and find out."

"But Tom, where are the teams?" "I don't know Michael but they better come out soon before this whole thing turns into a blood bath." The commentators shivered.

* * *

-Down on the ground-

A boy pulled his cap lower down on his head pushing his brown locks down and covering his face to an extent. He watched for an opportunity while his teammates talked and pumped themselves up for the game to slip away unseen, heading towards a corner of the field that was close to the Eagle's bleachers. He grinned and waved at the spectators as he passed them. Rounding the bleachers to the back, he spotted a boy a little older than him, leaning against the back. "Is the plan still a go?" He asked getting serious as he neared.

"I should say so. "

"Great. How am I supposed to explain this back at school?" The brown haired boy said sarcastically, drooping a little in annoyance.

"Scared you'll lose your fans, Dan?" The other guy smirked.

"More like scared I'll be tortured." Dan groaned. "This better work Shun."

'It's not just my reputation on the line.' Dan thought inwardly turning away from Shun and peeking through the legs of the people sitting on the bleachers to the baseball field he would soon be on.

* * *

Headmaster Leltoy has bright pink spiky hair which could easily be spotted in any crowd. Standing beside his students, he stood out like an elephant in a market. He was a strong looking man, well-built with sparkling eyes. He usually wore a white and gold lined coat buttoned up to his waist and flowing out like a cape to his knees, over his clothes. The way anime characters usually wore. It made a huge statement about him. He wasn't scared of anything or anyone. He stood there arms crossed grinning triumphantly, already sure of his win.

His students were behind him in their school uniform. Black pants and pale yellow cotton vests over a white shirt. Some of them had painted half of their face a glittery yellow or drawn a bird of prey. Their banner fluttered in the wind: Eagle Crest is the Best!

The cheerleaders were beside him in their black skirts and yellow full shell top. An eagle in a circle on the backs. Pompoms in hand and getting the crowd excited.

Leltoy glanced over at the Sparrows side. They were sending glares to the Eagles for being so big headed before the match was even over. They were in their uniform- blue skirts or blue pants for boys, white shirt and black blazer. Their headmaster was not with them. 'Ran away already?' Leltoy thought smirking.

* * *

As Shun headed back to the Sparrow team, he saw an old man watching him. "I saw that."

"What are you talking about?" Shun said, not blinking as he went to his usual position beside the bench, arms crossed. It was how he usually stood and none of the other players noticed any difference in him. The old man however had a better eye. He knew his grandson well. Perhaps not that well but he knew he had to look behind the emotionless expression.

"You're on the bench this match." His grandfather said firmly.

Shun pushed off of the wall. "You can't bench me." He said calmly.

His grandfather looked annoyed. He turned to the team captain. "Bench him."

The team gasped in surprise and Shun sent an impassive look their way as if he knew they wouldn't do it.

"But.." A player stuttered in surprise, trying to speak up for the guy. "He's our best chance."

The headmasters expression did not change as he watched the boy pointedly. After a few seconds of that pointed glare, the captain nodded that he agreed to bench Shun and Shun shot him a venomous glare. With that, the team sent apologetic looks over their shoulders as they walked out off the bench areas and towards the chalked up baseball field. Shun tried to follow behind but he was stopped by his grandfather's stick across his chest. "You heard him." He wouldn't have listened if it were not for the fact that he still had to respect his grandfather.

'Dan. I think I messed up.'

* * *

"This is INCREDIBLE! The Sparrows have won for the first time in years. I never saw that coming!" The commentator yelled.

"I didn't either, Tom. But there you have it. Miracles do happen. And see how the Sparrows dance. That will be one happy school next year."

"I guess that ends our night. Join us next year for another stunning performance of talents in tournament 2016!" The commentator ended, high fiving his partner. He took off the headphones on his ears and began to pack up his things. He and his partner left the box together coming down to join the celebrations on the ground.

The Sparrows dominated the field that afternoon. They dispersed into the fields, snickering at the indignant Eagles. They whooped and did cartwheels and yelled. And they also threw a bucket of water over the commentators. That's to teach them not to judge beforehand.

And so as the Sparrows celebrated their victory and the Eagles tried to quickly leave so they wouldn't have to face the music and hear the boasts of their rivals, one young Eagle looked over his shoulder as he was dragged away with the crowd and his team and saw his friend on the other side looking apologetically back at him. Then he too left the scene.

The Sparrows won but what were the costs?

* * *

 **And there you have it. Prologue: A Year Before.**

I'll repeat the school uniforms:

Eagle Crest- Black skirt or black pants for boys. And a light yellow handless v-necked vest over a white shirt. They don't have to wear the vest on top.

Sparrow Academy- Blue skirt or blue pants for boys. White shirt and a black blazer with a sparrow emblem on the left breast pocket side.

 **Remember to Review- They mean everything.**


	2. The Present Time

**Hey there.**

 **This is my FIRST fanfic. So fingers crossed it'll be a good one.**

Summary- Eagle Crest and Sparrow Academy have never been on good terms. Their principals don't get along, their students are rivals and their principles are completely different. One school will be the ruin of the other. To create cooperation, Sparrow sends one of their own to Eagle Crest. But can the transfer student resolve the tension before things get out of hand?

Mainly DanxRuno. ShunxAlice, JuliexBilly, AcexMira and one more couple I won't mention now.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Present Time.

Alice. Alice!

The orange head heard the distant call of her name and looked up to see her friend standing before her, hands on hips and a disapproving frown on her face.

"Sorry, Runo. What were you saying?" She asked.

The blunette sighed out of irritation then softened. "I was saying you were spacing out again. You got that far away look you have been sporting all day. What's wrong?"

Alice frowned as she thought back to her previous thoughts. Shun hadn't come to any of his classes this year. She hadn't seen him anywhere in or around school. And when she had went to visit him in his room, worried he had fallen ill and needed bed rest, his room had been cleared out. Which didn't make much sense. She had tried to ask the office but they had said they couldn't give out student information unless the headmaster or Vice-Principal gave them instructions to do so. And she didn't think it was such a big problem that she had to go so far.

If something was wrong with Shun, then his grandfather, the headmaster would certainly know about it.

Alice threw on a reassuring smile. "It's nothing Runo. I just had a bad feeling is all."

Runo looked at her concerned but since Alice wasn't much of a talker when it came to her problems, knew it would be useless digging further into the matter at the moment. She would get it out of her later. She thought, returning her attention to Mira who was sitting on the other side of Alice and resuming their conversation.

Alice frowned again. 'Shun. I hope you're alright.'

* * *

Sparrow Academy's headmaster is 86 years old! He has grey hair that he ties in a short ponytail and always wore traditional Japanese robes- usually green and grey. Despite his very old age, he was still youthful in his actions and looked young in a funny way. He runs the school with a firm hand, hands trained in the art of ninjitsu. He is very smart and skilled... except when it comes to modern technology.

In the present time, he was standing before his desk waiting for the vice-principle.

She soon entered in a red kimono with her medium length black hair in a bun, held by two fine needles. Immediately she noticed the ringing of the telephone on the desk and sighed.

Headmaster Kazami really had to learn how to use the phone. He couldn't keep calling her every time it rang. She was not his assistant. She was the Vice of a very prestigious school that was well-known for its high grade holders. He should get an assistant to help him.

She walked over to him, her kimono not moving an inch as she majestically took up the handset shooting an annoyed look at him. "Hello?" ... She held the phone to her shoulder. "It's headmaster Baron. He wants to speak with you."

"Where is he then?" He asked, not joking and Chan-Lee poked the handset at his chest, making him fumble to grab it. He cleared his throat and spoke gruffly into the handset. He fell silent after a few minutes and Chan-Lee watching from aside in case he needed her help again, saw his face go from calm to stern to annoyed and then really mad. He slammed the headset down and it slipped off the desk and dangled on its cord, over the table's edge.

"Bad news?" She asked inquiringly. He fumed to himself and began looking through drawers. He pulled out a sealed envelope and tearing it at one end, pulled out the pressed white sheets inside. Typed up in Arial, the most common front used in official letters and documents, he ran through the content. He then passed it to Chan-Lee so she could read it.

"Wow. What are you going to do?" She asked after quickly skimming through the text, really surprised at what it said.

"We'll do as they say. Write to them that I'll personally see to it myself. Then bring me the student folders." He said finally sitting down in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Chan-Lee nodded and began to walk out. "Do you want me to call an emergency meeting too?"

"You might as well. They should all know." He answered.

* * *

The Sparrow Grand Hall fell silent as the headmaster entered. Students scrambled into their seats and the room fell into pin-drop silence. His wooden soles slapping against the blue granite tiles as he and the Vice-Principal moved to the front of the hall.

The headmaster cleared his throat the way he did before every announcement. He would need to, to make his voice clear and loud. He never used the microphone on the podium because he didn't agree to all that nonsense. It was impossible for the students, especially those at the back who had to lean in to hear. One boy nudged another for breathing too loud.

"I called this emergency meeting forward because of a new development. Sparrows' and Eagle Crest have never cooperated on any lines. And it has come to the attention of the Educational board that we do not get along. As well as our last tournament victory over the Eagles, they also know of how afterwards the Marakura family joined us. Something that the Eagles still hold us against but that we have no regrets over."

The students nodded. Everyone knew the rich Marakura family that donated a lot of funds to the school. They had a son, Marucho Marakura who was short for his age. But made up for it by being smarter than most people of his age. He was a shy one with blonde hair and red rimmed glasses. But he was very kind and they were proud to have him on their side and not the Eagles.

"The Eagles think otherwise." A small squeak came from Marucho and his friends told him not to worry about it but that didn't seem to reassure him as he squirmed in his seat, uncomfortable.

"The board wants us to mend the rift between our two schools and I have come to a decision. One of our students will be transferred to Eagle Crest for the year in good faith."

Gasps erupted from the sparrows' mouths. One of them was leaving? And to the lair of their enemy?! In good faith- Meaning no rivalry?! Impossible! This was the most horrendous news any Sparrow could bear. They had made a pact that in the face of their adversary, meaning the Eagles, they would not back down and would beat them at anything and everything. And now one of theirs had to support an.. an.. Eurgh... Eagle! (A/N- Please note I don't mean the bird nor any real school that goes by Eagle but only the school in my story and that too only by the Sparrow students. I don't want a lawsuit coming after me. LOL.)

"Afu mch deli.. ..." His words could not be heard over the chatter of the riled up students.

He banged his wooden stick which he always carried with him, hidden away at his side or on his back, on the granite loudly, regaining the students attention.

"After much deliberation, we have decided to send..." He looked over at his subordinate who ran over and whispered in his ear. "...Alex Gebich."

The students began muttering, talking to their neighbours, confused expressions on everyone's faces. Who was Alex Gebich?

Chan-Lee slapped her hand against her forehead and stepped up. "Alice Gehabich." She announced in a high octave so that it could be heard over the chatter. Everyone's heads turned to the orange head sitting in the middle row who looked just as stunned as they were.

It made sense they chose her. She was a peace-maker by character. Always breaking up the smallest of fights. She participated in the school's tournament only out of compulsion and never boasted her win. She was also really responsible. If anyone had to make friends with their enemies, Alice was probably the only one that could do it.

Even then, it was quite shocking. "Alice, you're transferring?..." Runo's voice trailed off.

* * *

~A couple of hours later~

The door to the headmaster's room opened and closed as Alice returned from her talk with the headmaster, head down, still thinking about everything he had told her.

As Alice walked past, a shadow emerged from a corner and sneakily walked backwards to the headmaster's room, evading Alice's view.

"Sir." Vice. Chan-Lee poked her head through the doorway. "A student wants to see you."

* * *

 **And there you have it. Chapter 1: The Present Time.**

 **You're probably all wondering why I keep rewriting my chapters. Extremely sorry. My heads all over the place. But I assure you I will only move forward from now. Even if I get a new idea for an old chapter, I'll just ignore it from now on. It's just too much hard work. Sigh.**

 **Remember to Review- They mean everything.**


	3. Taking Over For A Friend

**Hey there. :)**

 **Thanks to everyone who is reading this and thank you even more for the reviews, follows and** **favourites** **. I forgot to mention that before.**

 **A special shout out to Guest Just a person. I have no idea who you are! But you are my first reviewer so thank you ever so much. ^^**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Taking Over For A Friend.

After the Emergency meeting, the students had been dispersed back to their dorm rooms, Runo, Alice and Mira headed to the two latter girls' room. They were walking solemnly. It was only a few weeks into the first term and one of them was already leaving? And I thought missing your friends during vacation was tough.

They stopped before the door dejectedly. Open it and Alice would just have to begin to pack. Alice sighed and reached for the doorknob but was stopped by Runo's hand. "You don't have to go." "She's right. They can't transfer a student without their consent." Mira informed them wisely. She was book smart.

"It's to help solve the conflict between the schools, isn't it?" Alice said giving a weak smile to reassure her friends that it was okay. She wasn't too happy about it either. Other than missing her friends, she was pretty sure Shun's disappearance had nothing to do with the Eagles. She'd be useless to him there.

"I don't really want to go. If I didn't have to, I wouldn't." Alice sighed pushing the door open so they could go in. She was only trying to tell her friends that she would miss them but Runo spoke up. "Then don't. We'll just find you a replacement."

"Who would want to go to Eagles?" Mira asked and Runo couldn't think of any student who would be willing to take Alice's place.

"Even if there was someone who was willing, how could we convince headmaster Kazami to swap us?" Alice asked.

"Vice- Principal Chan-Lee could help." Runo shrugged. She was on pretty good terms with the Vice like every other student.

"Runo. You should go with Alice. You could convince Vice Chan to find a replacement for Alice." Mira said.

Runo nodded in agreement and motioned for Alice to follow. "We'll have to find her first."

* * *

Runo and Alice found Vice-Principal Chan in her office which was a couple of rooms from the Headmaster's. He would have had her closer but she protested that she would be able to keep watch over the students better there. It was really so that she could pretend to have not heard him call her whenever he had trouble with technology. It didn't usually work but you can't blame a girl for trying.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Chan asked eying the two girls who were sitting, legs locked in the two chairs before her desk. "If it's about the transfer, there's no point asking." The girls exchanged sad looks and Chan continued. "Someone has to go to Eagle... and it's for a good cause, isn't it Alice?"

Runo immediately understood Chan's ploy- Guilt Alice into taking part. This was one of the reasons why Alice couldn't possibly go to Eagles. Just as Runo suspected Alice gave in. "I'll go see him now. I'll see you back in dorm, Runo." The orange head said dejectedly as she left the room.

Runo didn't leave and Chan watched the thoughtful expression on the young girl's face. "What if I took her place?" She asked quietly.

Chan was about to respond when the door was pushed opened followed by a scared "Meep!" A blonde boy stood there, short and determination written on his face. It slipped away when he saw he had walked in on a conversation. "I'm so sorry. I'll Ju-" He began backing away, arm still on the doorknob so he could close it swiftly behind him. And then probably run and hide, Runo thought from the scared look on his face.

"It's okay, Marucho. You can come in." Chan encouraged. Runo nodded giving him a small smile. He looked from her to Chan and Runo patted the now empty seat beside her to motion for him to come over. He blushed and scrambled into the seat.

"I wanted to talk about the transfer. Could I go instead?" Marucho spoke up, not worried that Runo could also hear him. She seemed kind enough.

Runo looked at him in shock. 'Why would anyone ever want to go to Eagle?' Runo thought surprised, 'especially since he left there to join here.' But the boy looked determined.

"No, Marucho. Your parents wouldn't want that." Chan frowned, shaking her head. Marucho's face fell but he didn't say anything more.

Runo looked from the vice to the boy. Here was a boy who was willing to take Alice's place but the vice wouldn't let him? But bugging her even more was why he would want to go there in the first place. Unable to keep still, she tapped her feet impatiently against the floor hoping he would explain. Seeing no indication of this she took the initiative.

"Why would you want to go to Eagle?" She asked him. The boy looked up at her and was again shy. "I, er, I... like it there." This surprised Runo even more and her shock was evident when her mouth fell into an O. Marucho became flustered. "I like it here too. It's just that I had some really good friends there." Marucho tried to explain his hands moving wildly because he was flustered and scared to have angered a Sparrow who was well-known to have actively participated and won in many of the School contests against Eagle.

Runo just stared at him for a moment, then back at the vice. "So can I?" She asked Chan again. "Do you really want to?" Chan asked, not understanding the girl's full intent. "Yep. I'm going to show Marucho here that Sparrow really is the best." She grinned and winked at a surprised Marucho. "And what better way to do that then beat them on their own grounds."

* * *

Runo waited agitatedly around the corner for Alice to re-emerge from the Headmaster's room. She didn't want to be seen. If she was, she'd have to explain what she was still doing there and Alice would surely protest that Runo didn't have to do something like this for her. She also didn't want to get Alice's hopes up if the Headmaster denied her request.

When the door clicked open, Runo hid in the shadows and watched Alice go past. 'She didn't see me, that's good. She didn't look happy either', Runo thought feeling more encouraged to do what she was about to do. 'For Alice.'

She slipped unseen out of the shadows and watched Alice's back walking away and around the corner, before she went to see the Head. Chan-Lee was already there as she had been called by the Head again! She nodded at Runo and disappeared into the room and emerged a few seconds later. "You can go in."

Runo nodded and walked into a well lit room. There was a lot of light coming in from the huge glass window that panned a whole side of the wall behind the Head's chair. The walls were a light green and there were matted scrolls on the walls. It was all very dojo-traditional style.

"What do you want to see me about?"

Runo returned her gaze to the old man at front. She wasn't that scared. 'Got to stop looking at him like he's old.' She shook her head, it was making her jump to conclusions that he would happily accept her request.

"I want to take Alice's place." She said firmly looking him straight in the eye.

"And why's that?"

"Alice is er, she can't..."

"Is she not well?" The Head asked and Runo cringed when she realized how it sounded. "Yeah. Something like that." She knotted her hands behind her.

"And you want to take her place because?"

This should be the easy part. Runo knew the rivalry between the schools. "Because even if we are trying to cooperate, doesn't mean that we should let them walk all over us in their school. I can go there and beat them on their own grounds."

The Head was intrigued. It was an interesting proposal. When he had read the letter, he had only thought about doing as it said. He had been worried of losing a student especially to that pink haired buffoon. But if he sent the Misaki girl, he could beat that Leltoy on his own grounds. He knew Runo's competitive drive would take over. Imagine Baron's face when she beats his students in their own school!

Runo watched carefully as the Headmaster thought it over. "Okay then." He agreed expressionless. His thoughts only visible on the inside.

* * *

 **And there you have it. Chapter 2: Taking over For A Friend.**

 **Not really much of a cliff hanger, is it? I'll work on it.**

 **How many of you thought Alice would be transferring? An unexpected twist, right?**

 **Don't worry ShunxAlice fans. They have a big role in the story too. And Alice has her own problem to take care of. She doesn't need me to add another.**

 **Alice: I agree. Do you know how hard it is to find a ninja?**

 **Me: Nope. That's why you're supposed to.**

 **Alice:(sigh) Well, where's Runo?**

 **Runo: (comes in dragging half closed suitcase and leaving a trail of clothes on the floor from where she came) What do you think?! I'm packing. You didn't give me any warning!**

 **Me: I thought it was obvious.**

 **Both: It wasn't!**

 **Remember to Review- They mean everything.**


	4. Worries

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Worries.

Runo had been standing before her dorm window for quite some time. She hadn't moved from there. Not even to turn the lights on and close the curtains when the sun began to set, sending the room into an orange-purple darkness. The silhouette of her shadow stretched from her feet to the opposite wall but she only leaned on the window sill, staring absentmindedly outside.

She was deep in thought. Replaying the reaction of the girls when she had told them that she would go to Eagle Crest in Alice's place.

... "Alice. You can stop packing." Runo said triumphantly as she marched into the dorm room. Mira and Alice were on the bed, legs crossed. Evidently talking about the whole transfer thing. Alice had her head down slightly and looked tired. As though she was beginning to get a headache.

"Runo. What did you do?" Alice asked carefully, in a voice similar to how you would talk to a small child.

"I got you off the hook." Runo continued expecting the girls to run up to her and hug her or at least look a touch more excited than this.

"How did you manage that?" Mira asked.

"I volunteered to take Alice's place." Runo explained, feeling a touch uncomfortable. The girls were staring at her. Mira shook her head in disbelief. Alice rubbed her forehead in worry. "Tell me you didn't."

"I, er, did." Runo hesitated.

"Why didn't you talk to us first?"

"I.. Well, it was of the moment.. I just felt the urge to..." She trailed off seeing the troubled look on Alice's face. Mira and Alice swapped glances and shared a defeated sigh...

Her plan which had seemed to have good reasoning behind it, no longer looked that smart. Was she regretting her decision? No, not really. She'd miss them, yes. But she had to prove to Marucho that Sparrow really was better than Eagle. What did the Eagle's have that they didn't? She was curious to find out. And to challenge the Eagle's on their own turf? She couldn't miss an opportunity like that.

At least Mira had understood after Runo had explained the details of how she would go and school the Eagle's on their own turf. She had even backed her up and suggested she pay close attention to anything that could be used against them. But Alice hadn't been convinced. She hadn't said anything but Runo could tell she was worried.

It's not only about the whole Eagle thing either. Something else is bugging Alice, Runo thought. A movement outside, in the darkening courtyard caught her eye.

* * *

It was getting dimmer and dimmer outside. The lamps had been turned on so the orange head wasn't in complete darkness. She sat on the rim of the fountain in the courtyard with the water from the fountain head spouting up and splashing down behind her. She wanted to think. Alone.

Like Runo had been, Alice was also deep in thought.

"Alice. You shouldn't be out here."

A tall boy with silver grey hair was standing beside her. Neatly dressed and looking smart and calm. She hadn't even realized he was approaching. "Oh, hey Klaus. I was just thinking."

"Why don't you come inside and think?" Klaus asked offering her his hand to get up so they could head inside together.

"Umm. That's okay."

Klaus didn't give up though. "I insist Alice. We can head inside where it's warm and we can think over a cup of hot cocoa."

"Really Klaus. That's a sweet offer but I think I'll just sit here for a while."

There was an awkward silence between them as Alice tried to hint that she would rather sit out here. "Can I sit with you then?" Alice nodded and shifted along the rink. Klaus dusted off the seat and sat down.

There was another awkward silence between them as he shuffled his feet into a comfortable position. He wasn't planning to leave any time soon. The minutes ticked by and as neither of them initiated a conversation, Alice began to relax herself back to her previous worrying thoughts.

"So..." His voice cut in.

It doesn't look like she would be able to think about anything right now.

* * *

Out in the cool night air at last, Runo sighed in content. It would probably be her last night here for a while and she wanted to memorize the beauty that was Sparrow in the late evening. The lamps would be turned on and looked like fairy lights against the orange and purplish sky.

The sun had set and the sky was darkening. In the light of the lamps, Runo could see an orange tinge to the fall of water from the fountain in the centre of the courtyard. Wisps of orange hair peeked out as she neared. She could also see a grey shimmering in the water to the right of the orange-head. Who would Alice be with at this time of night?

It didn't surprise her then when she saw the senior she was with. Klaus. Klaus Von Hertzon. Same year as Alice. In most of her classes. Shown to have sentiments towards the orange head. Mature, kind, polite. A reasonable guy.

It was difficult to say whether there was anything going on between them. They would often be seen talking to each other in the hallways and between classes. They were friends is all that Runo was sure of.

Alice's back was to her so Runo couldn't tell whether she would be interrupting their conversation or not. But Klaus spotted her and called to her. "Miss Misaki. What are you doing out here?"

Alice turned her head to see who he was talking to and when she saw her, she looked relieved. She seemed to be sending Runo brain signals telepathically to join them. Not really, but her expression was evident. Alice made sure to be expressive since Klaus wouldn't be able to see it anyway.

'Better go and save her.' Runo decided, smirking a little at the funniness of how Alice crossed her eyes.

"Hey, Klaus. I wanted to talk with Alice." She said nearing them to stand before them.

"But I was.." Runo put her hands on her hips. 'Move it along' her eyes said.

Alice quickly covered up with a grateful smile to Klaus. "Thank you for keeping me company, Klaus." She said putting a hand on his shoulder to reassure him and at the same time dismissing him. Klaus smiled at the touch, nodded and politely excused himself.

Runo watched Klaus walk off before letting her arms drop back to her sides and sitting beside Alice. "Thanks Runo."

"No problem. But what were you doing out here?"

"I was thinking... of everything... You leaving, Shun's disappearance."

Runo backtracked. Shun's disappearance? "Wait, what was that about the Headmaster's grandson?"

"He hasn't been coming to any of his classes lately."

"And that's what's been worrying you lately?"

Alice blushed at that. "Err. Well. Not just that. You transferring seems to have priority right now."

Runo shook her head."No. You worry about Shun right now. I'll be fine." Anything to get Alice's mind off of her transfer, Runo thought. She didn't want to be the reason to worry the girl.

"I have a feeling something is wrong." Alice continued, furrowing her eyebrows in thought.

"I'm sure he's fine. He knows how to look after himself, doesn't he?" Runo asked jokingly to lighten up the mood.

"Yeah. You're probably right."

'Probably? She must really be worried about him.' Runo thought as the girls stood up to head back to their dorms. It was getting dark and they weren't supposed to be out late. The school had a curfew of when the students should be back in their dorms.

Their school skirts fluttered in the breeze and the air was refreshing from the spray of the fountain. Alice raised her right hand to hold her hair back. Runo didn't mind. Her twin tails blew gently in the breeze. "I think this might be the best part of Sparrow." She breathed.

She closed her eyes to concentrate on the breeze and opened them again. Alice was standing beside her. She still looked worried as she tucked her hair behind her ear and then knotted her hands in front.

'She's really worried about him... He better not be at Eagles. The last thing I need is another Sparrow running off to Eagle Crest.'

* * *

 **And there you have it. Chapter 3: Worries.**

 **Dan: Hey Shun, wherever you are. Someone's romanticizing your girl.**

 **Me: Dan. What are you doing here?**

 **Dan: I couldn't miss the chance to tease Shun.**

 **Me: Well, go back. You're not supposed to be here.**

 **Dan: I'm a main character, aren't I?**

 **Me: Yeah. But you're supposed to be at Eagle Crest.**

 **Dan: Well when do I come in?**

 **Me: In a bit. (Shoving him out the door and locking it)**

 **Now I have to figure that out.**

 **Remember to Review- They mean everything.**


	5. The Transfer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Transfer

Up in his room, Headmaster Kazami looked down through the glass wall to the courtyard below where a small crowd of well-wishers had gathered around the little blue car parked out front. He could distinctly see the Misaki girl with her suitcase and her two orange haired friends beside her. Everyone else had just come to watch.

"Are you certain about this? She is one of our best and competitive." Vice- Chan spoke up as she moved to stand beside him. The old man hummed quietly an old war time song. "She'll be back." He said at last.

* * *

"I wish Vice- Chan Lee would hurry already. My arms are killing me." Runo complained as she shifted the cardboard box in her hand for the third time since she had been standing there. It was heavy with all her books and stationary inside which she didn't want to put in her suitcase. Not that there was much room in her suitcase for it anyway. What made it worse was that it kept slipping in her hands.

"I didn't keep you waiting, did I?" A feminine voice called out. The crowd parted and who should it be than the Vice herself. -_-

In her beautiful yet professional Kimono, she smirked a little. She knew no one would comment on her tardiness. She pressed a button on her car keys as she neared and the car behind Runo beeped to life. Yes, it was Chan-Lee's car. "You can put the suitcase in the back." Runo nodded and moved to the trunk of the car. It opened easily and with the help of Mira, they flung it in.

"Hurry up and say your goodbyes. We have to get a move on."

She didn't think so when she was late. Runo thought. -_- She then sighed and turned back to her friends. "I'll miss you guys." "We will too."

"Don't think just because I'm joining the Eagles, that I'm no longer a Sparrow." She said warningly.

Mira and Alice giggled. "We wouldn't think of it." They gave her a quick hug before standing back.

Runo smiled and walked to the left side of the car. Vice- Chan leaned over from the driver's seat and unlocked the door. Runo gave one last wave.

"Runo! Wait."

'Huh?' She stopped half-way into the seat and saw a short blonde boy running towards her. Marucho? She got back out without a second thought.

"Hey. Came to wave me goodbye?" She smiled. Marucho smiled sweetly. "Yes and I was hoping you could give this letter to a friend of mine." He held out a clean white envelope to her. "And if you're looking for a friend, I'm sure he'd be willing to be yours. He's really friendly." Runo couldn't help but smile at his efforts to help her fit in there. "Sure." He beamed at her and stood back and Alice and Mira stood on either side of him. He looked even shorter beside them and blushed when they smiled down at him.

"Time to kick some Eagle butts!" She pumped her fist in the air excitedly. "Yeah!" The crowd agreed. Alice and Marucho exchanged nervous looks. Vice-Chan also gave her a weird look. "And to make some new friends." She added quickly. Runo could see the start of a smile on Chan's face so she relaxed back into her seat.

The car started up and Runo took one final look at her old dorm school. The building was entirely white except for the blue turrets and grey stone crisscrossed at the bottom. The windows gleamed in the sunlight and the students smiled warmly, gathered around and in front of the fountain in the middle. Alice, Mira and Marucho were at the very front and were still waving to her.

The blue car drove out of the academy premises and out onto the road. Vice-Chan turned the radio on. So she definitely doesn't want to talk. Runo thought and sighed. It could have helped her nerves to talk to someone. She turned her attention to the passing surroundings.

The academy walls had been left behind and now on her left was the coast. A sandy beach. There were a few people enjoying themselves making sandcastles, sunbathing or playing in the water. But it looked empty compared to the tournament week when the beach would be closed off to beach goers and only for the school students and those who wanted to watch the match between the two rival schools. Then there would be so much bustling. Seats would be temporarily set up for the bleachers. The life-guards podium would be transformed into the commentators stand. School flags and banners would be raised. The ice-cream van would be parked outside and not roaming the dunes. It was the event of the year.

She turned to her right. That was where the forest was. It's thick pine trees stretched high into the sky and she couldn't see the top nor the sky because of the low ceiling of the car. Not even when she bent down to see if she could see it then. The forest was really the only thing separating the Eagles and the Sparrows. The Sparrows never ventured into it strangely enough. Chan sent her a weird look and she immediately sat back up.

She sighed and leaned on one hand. "How far is it?" "We're already here." Chan replied turning into a small drive way that then expanded into a huge courtyard. Runo gasped, staring out the window. It was... okay. She wasn't going to gush over it though it did look impressive. It looked better than in the brochure. Warm and inviting. The building was a pale yellow with grey stone at the bottom like the Sparrows. But the turrets were red. It had a homey feel to it.

A man was waiting out at the front for them as they drove up. He was about 28, Chan's age perhaps. Wearing an orange tee underneath a white unbuttoned shirt. His light brown hair and warm eyes gave off a warm approach as Runo stepped out. Chan was by her side in an instant almost surprising Runo at how quick she'd rounded the front of the car to reach them. "Get your suitcase Runo."

'Wow. Not even an introduction.' Runo thought as she went to the back. As she pulled her suitcase out, she glanced back at them. The guy was smiling and talking and Chan seemed to be blushing. 'Now that's weird.' Runo shook her head.

She pulled out the lever on her suitcase and rolled it out towards them and waited. And waited. She was just about to make a remark when the man noticed her. "Ah. You must be the transfer." Runo nodded and shook his hand.

"I'm Vice- Principle Brown but the students usually call me Vice- Joe. I'll give you a tour of the place. Would you like to join us, Chan?" He asked turning to the other Vice. Vice-Chan blushed and nodded. "Yeah. I should probably make sure Runo gets settled in." 'Sure. That's why.' Runo thought sarcastically as Vice- Joe led them in.

* * *

The halls had students wandering about talking. They called out to Joe and some girls giggled when he came near. This led Chan to send glares in their direction. Luckily the girls didn't pay attention. Runo thought. It would be hard enough to fit in without the Vice acting this way. Maybe I should pretend I'm not part of this group.

Runo slowed down her pace so that there was a small gap between her and the pair. She weaved through the students with her suitcase. They were giving her curious looks.

"And this will be your dorm." Joe finished arriving at a purple door. He didn't open it. Probably because it was weird enough he was in the girl's dorm halls. He looked kind of uncomfortable with the girls giggling at him.

"I guess we'll leave you to it then." Chan said eagerly. Probably wanting to get out of the girl's hall. Runo did too.

"If you have any questions, I'm sure your roommate would be happy to help you." Joe called out as Chan began to drag him away. Runo watched their backs. 'That was kind of weird.' She shook of the thought. 'My roommate huh?'

She turned the knob and opened the door. There was no one inside but that didn't mean the room wasn't full of life. There was glitter and banners and Eagle posters everywhere. Runo had walked in on an Eagle manifestation! There was even an Eagle plush toy as big as half her height in the corner! She'd never seen a room so messy and so Eagley. Is that even a word? It should be seeing this!

She cautiously walked into the centre of the room, careful not to step on any banners or glitter on the floor. There was an open bottle of glue next to other arts and craft stuff.

"Sorry, I'm late. I ran over the minute I heard." A breathy voice came from the doorway. Runo slowly turned around and then wished she hadn't. As if the room wasn't bad enough, before her stood a pretty tanned girl, her silver hair in a ponytail to the side. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was that the girl was wearing a yellow full shell top, (That is hands to the wrist. You can check on the web) and a black skirt. Yellow and black striped pompoms in her hands. That's right. You must have guessed it. Runo Misaki's roommate was not only an Eagle fanatic but a member of the Eagle's cheerleader squad!

'Who assigned the dorms?!'

* * *

 **And there you have it. Chapter 4: The Transfer.**

 **Remember to leave a Review-It'll mean the world to me. :)**


	6. One Poster

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.**

* * *

Chapter 5: One Poster

Julie was kicking the banners and craft stuff to a corner to make a pathway. It would have been a better idea to sort the things out first. But Julie didn't have the time. "If I had known that I would be getting a new roommate, I would have organized the place."

Runo looked about her. She could barely see the purple carpet underneath all the banners and glitter. The walls were pasted with Eagle posters but you could spot the blue wallpaper through gaps where the posters didn't meet. There were two beds. One looked fairly neat and pretty with a hot pink duvet and purple throw pillows. Julie jumped into a comfortable position on it. The other had scrapbooks and pictures littering the duvet.

"Umm. Which bed is mine?" Runo asked unable to figure out exactly which part of the room would be hers. "Well that side of course, silly." Julie giggled pointing at Runo. Runo turned halfway to look behind her at the bed littered with pictures.

"Oops. Sorry." Julie jumped up from the bed and leapt over to the other bed, grabbing pictures and scrapbooks in her arms. "It's... I..." Julie mumbled having put a glue stick in her mouth. The bed now a tad bit neater showed a purple duvet spread on it. Julie moved away from the bed and dumped the things in her arms on the desk on her side.

"So you... just leave your stuff everywhere?" Runo asked confused.

"Oh no. You see I had a roommate but she left for another country or something." Julie shrugged. "It was about a week into the first term and all the students had been assigned dorms. So I had this whole room to myself. My squad and I have been using this room to keep our posters and for meetings whenever it's raining outside. And then we just preferred doing things here. All the girls are on the same floor so meetings are really easy and flexible."

Runo wasn't too happy with this. Does that mean she'll be sharing a room with a whole squadron of cheerleaders? She'd definitely have to find a hobby to keep out of the room as much as possible.

Runo laid her suitcase on the floor to unzip it. Julie was glancing about the room. "I guess we'll have to find a new home for these posters now. Can't have them cluttering up our room."

"I'm actually glad. All this yellow in the room. Not to mention waking up to see an Eagle staring back at you." Julie shuddered. "I'm sure the cheerleaders won't mind."

~An hour and a half later~

"That took longer than I thought." Julie wiped the sweat off her brow. Runo had fallen down onto a grey beanie that she had discovered while helping Julie clean up. "This looks way better now."

"I agree." The room looked amazing after all the posters and banners had been taken down. The glitter scrubbed out of the carpet, the coloured paper thrown out. The Eagle plush toy was now beside the foot of Julie's bed.

"Aren't you going to put any pictures up?" Julie asked seeing Runo's spotless side. "Oh right. I thought something was missing." Runo scrambled over to her suitcase and fished out a small photo frame that could be put on her bedside drawer. It had a picture of her parents in it. She then pulled out another which had her with Mira and Alice. They were in their casual clothes at a beach. "They're pretty." Julie commented.

"Right. That's Alice and Mira." Runo smiled, handing the picture frame to Julie so she could see it. She got off of her knees and began pasting a poster onto the wall by her bed.

"Is that a sparrow poster?"

Runo looked up at her hands which had been working without the guide of her mind and cringed. It was a sparrow poster. A sparrow poster in a dorm at Eagle Academy. You can tell how this looks.

"Right. Yeah."Runo nodded sheepishly.

"Oh, I get it. You must use it as dart practice, right? I must see your aim."

"Maybe another time." Runo said trying to distract Julie from the poster. "Could you show me around?"

"Yes! That'll be fun. Follow me." Julie clapped her hands and lead the way. Runo took one last glance at the poster. She would take it down later, she decided.

* * *

"And this is the lounge area. It's where everyone hangs out." Julie explained as they entered a big room on the ground floor. It had a huge sofa and contrasting chairs and cushions beside it. All pointing towards a T.V set. Then there was a table to the side where a bunch of kids were playing cards. There was even a small smoothie bar. 'This has got to be my new favourite place.' Runo grinned as the student behind the bar handed her a milkshake on Julie's request.

The girls sat down on the couch slurping their milkshakes. "Anything else you want to know?"

"No. I think I'm goo.. Oh wait. Do you know someone by the name of Dan Kuso?" Runo asked remembering Marucho's letter in her pocket.

"Yeah. Of course I do." Julie turned on the couch searching the room. "He's over there." Julie pointed to a cute guy bent over a pool table in the corner, his dark brown hair covering his eyes. He had a pool stick in hand and his eyes were trained on the white ball. "Right. I'll be just a minute." Runo said putting her glass down and walking over to him.

"Hey." Runo gave a single wave smiling. The brunette looked up and Runo could see his playful red eyes. "Dan right?"

"Yeah. Who's asking?" The guy by the name of Dan asked.

"Marucho." Runo replied, giggling at his surprised expression. He didn't think she would just tell him her name, did he? She handed the letter over.

Dan took the letter and opened it, pulling out a paper and began to read it. Runo talked to the other guys simply because she didn't know what else to do. Julie had disappeared off to somewhere in the short time it had taken for her to hand Dan the letter. She could feel Dan's eyes on her every now and then but chose to ignore it.

"Right I'm back." A familiar voice called. "Julie where were you?" Runo turned away from the guys to greet her missing friend. "I just had to get something." Julie pulled out a rolled up sheet that she had been hiding behind her back. She unrolled it and Runo recognized it as her Sparrow poster. What was Julie doing with that here?!

Runo walked towards her as the girl stuck it onto an old dart board. "Ta da! Now everyone can play darts on it. And waking up to a Sparrow is almost as bad as waking up to an Eagle. Or is it the other way round?" Julie asked confused as to which way to put it. The bird Eagle was worse than the bird Sparrow. But a Sparrow student was worse than an Eagle student. She tapped a finger to her lips in thought.

Runo stared at her poster put up for everyone to ruin. A voice was beside her. "Julie. I don't think that's a good idea." Dan said. He was looking at Runo, a worried expression on his face.

"Why? It's great for some practice. Runo, you said you would show me your aim."

"Er. I.." Julie pushed a dart into Runo's hand. Runo stared at the dart in her hand and then the poster on the dart board. Julie was waiting excitedly. "You can do it Runo!" She cheered.

Runo gave a weak smile and threw the dart sloppily, missing the poster on purpose. "Guess I missed." She shrugged turning away.

"You have lousy aim." Dan said beside her. "You couldn't even get it onto the poster." He teased. Runo tried to ignore him. "Whichever school you went to before here must have been bad if they couldn't even teach you to throw."

That was it. The last draw. Runo grabbed another dart from the dart tray and without even waiting to take aim, flung it straight at the poster. Julie gasped and Dan grinned. The dart had stuck to the very centre of the Sparrow's forehead. (A/N Once again no harm to the bird. We should protect our wildlife).

"Ha. My aim is as good as ever!" Runo said confidently looking over at Dan. The whole body of students in the lounge had leaned towards them to see what would happen. Their mouths open in surprise and nodding impressed. "That was pretty good." He agreed.

He then put his hands behind his head. "What a shame you're a Sparrow."

* * *

 **Dun. Dun. Dun... Dan just called her out as a Sparrow in front of a whole body of Eagles. What will happen?**

 **Remember to Review. ^^**


	7. It's Out!

**Dan: People have been throwing stones at me.**

 **Me: That's what you get when you out a friend.**

 **Dan: But they don't even know the whole story!**

 **Me: I told you to stay at Eagles but you didn't listen. I should have waited a while longer before updating.**

 **Dan: Cruel.**

Me: P.S This chapter is written in a context of replays and fast forwards. You know when you fast forward on a DVD to get to one point and ignore all the other trivial things you don't want to see again. So imagine it like that. I think that seems kind of cool. I've been watching too much T.V. Has anyone else seen 'How to get away with murder'?

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.**

* * *

Chapter 6:It's Out!

~Fast Forward~

"So are you going to thank me or not?"

Runo stared sternly at Dan. "For what? Getting me in the mess in the first place?" The two of them were sitting on the stone steps , Dan leaning against the railing casually. Perfectly calm and not the least bothered. Runo sat two steps above the step Dan was stretched out on with his legs crossed, sitting vertical to his knees.

Runo glanced over her shoulder feeling someone giving her the evil eye. Sure enough, Julie who had been sitting a couple of steps above Runo's, was frowning and tapping her foot agitatedly. Her eyes fixed on the back of Runo's head, looking distrustfully at the girl. She had been doing that for quite some time.

There was another boy with them. He had thick black hair in braids. He was wearing the Eagle uniform like Dan was. He was sitting in between Dan and Runo on the same steps as Runo was. "So what do you think Jake?" Dan asked him.

"Tell him it was all his fault!" Runo said. "We-eelll." Jake extended the word unsurely. Both the other two were waiting for him to make a decision.

* * *

~Rewind~ Imagine the brawlers walking backwards, backing up the steps, across the courtyard, the door to the lounge open, the lounge door closed as they are turning to open the handle, all the way back to the dart board incident when our favourite hero just had to open his big mouth and call Runo out as a Sparrow in front of everyone in the Eagle's lounge room.

* * *

"What a shame you're a Sparrow."

Runo went into shock. Something that didn't happen too often. She stared open-mouthed at the brunette who had somehow managed to figure out that she was a Sparrow.

"You're a Sparrow?!" Julie screeched. Runo turned her head to see Julie, hands in the air in shock, anger and betrayal. Runo opened her mouth to explain but no words came out. She hadn't really thought of how they would accept her here. But she hadn't really planned on telling them either.

"I.. can explain." She said quietly. Julie tapped her foot impatiently. Runo really didn't have an explanation that they would accept. Tell them you came over to beat them on their own turf. You won't live to see another day. Tell them you really had no choice and the Headmaster's decided it. She still wouldn't be accepted with open arms.

Just as she was wishing she could dissolve into the carpet, a warm voice spoke up. "Isn't this great!" Everyone turned to the voice. It was Dan's.

"Last year, they took one of ours. This year, we get to return the favour." There was suspicious murmuring in the room despite the certainty of Dan's voice.

"I'm not so sure. How do we know she's not here to report back all our weak points?" One boy asked.

"Are you suggesting we have weak points?" Dan asked, folding his arms and questioning the boy who immediately looked distressed as all eyes turned to him. "No, I mean..No."

Dan nodded satisfied with his answer and the boy sighed in relief. He looked about him thinking the danger was over but was met by glares. Be more careful what you say. The Eagles don't take too kindly to people underestimating them, especially one of their own.

"So what do we have to fear? We'll be our awesome selves and prove that even with a Sparrow amongst us, we are better than the Sparrows." He looked over at Runo and winked. "Cos we are."

There were confused murmuring in the lounge, everybody turning to their neighbours, distrust and uncertainty on their faces. Runo held her breath.

Finally a student said: "Eagles are the best and we are going to prove it!" He raised a high five to the person sitting next to him who ignored him, leaving him hanging.

Another student in a different part of the room stood up to speak. "We could even maybe get some pointers about the weaknesses of the Sparrows. With a Sparrow on our side, we'll be invincible!" There were arguments for and against this comment and Runo thought to herself 'There's no way I'm abandoning the Sparrows.'

As the argument for and against the Sparrow student escalated and the room turned into a debate with half the side distrustful while the other side excited, already thinking up evil plots to use against the Sparrows, Runo felt a hand grab her forearm and begin pulling her through the students.

Julie who hadn't shifted her eyes from Runo since the news saw Dan taking her away and immediately followed close behind. She was then followed by Jake who thought things were going to get messy.

* * *

~Fast Forward~ Dan bustling Runo out the lounge, adding random comments here and there to excite and distract the students or perhaps just to add a funny comment into the already weird schemes being concocted, leaving the lounge, past the courtyard, all the way to the steps, sitting down exactly as they were currently doing.

* * *

"You weren't going to tell us, where you?" Dan asked, more like stated, to Runo as Jake still hadn't made up his mind.

"I would have... eventually."

"And then what? We would just accept you into our ranks even though you lied to us the whole time?"

Runo frowned, pouting a bit, though she was unaware of that. It was kind of cute. "If anything I did you a favour." Runo refused to agree to that, looking away from him.

"When you put it that way... Dan really is the man with the plan." Jake said, crossing his arms in finality while nodding his head in agreement. Dan smiled at that and Julie giggled quietly, her hand over her mouth to stifle it, smiling for the first time since she had found out the truth about Runo.

Runo looked at Jake in surprise and then rolled her eyes when she saw Dan looking at her expectantly. She was not going to thank him, so he shouldn't expect it. A silence took over as the group chilled, Runo still pouting and Dan watching her reaction.

Finally Runo made up her mind. Not to thank Dan, take in mind. "If you knew I was a Sparrow and you were going to call me out in the first place, couldn't you have done it _**before**_ I ruined my favourite poster?" Runo said crossing her arms, still annoyed about her favourite Sparrow poster which was now probably being used as target practise.

Dan shrugged. "I wanted to see if you were any good."

He then grinned and said with the boyish excitement all boys seem to get when talking about fights. "Not to mention seeing you attack Sparrows like that..." He mouth twitched into a smirk.

Runo pouted even more at that. She had. Put aside her Sparrow identity to stay undiscovered. She wouldn't have to do that again and I guess she has Dan to thank for that...

"Was that what was written in Marucho's letter? That I'm a Sparrow. Or did you just guess? Cos Julie was oblivious to it." Julie huffed from behind Runo but Runo again chose to ignore it.

"Yeah. He said to keep an eye out for you. Said you have trouble making friends." He said raising an eyebrow at her.

"Wha-at?!" Runo leapt up from the step. "No way! Give me that." The letter was sticking out from Dan's pocket so she had no trouble getting it from him after jumping him and pushing his head away from his body that is.

The letter now in her hands, she scanned the words quickly. Dan didn't make a move to stop her but got up and straightened himself out.

"This says nothing about me not being able to make friends." She said, pointing the letter back at him indignantly. Dan only grinned back at her, taking the letter back from her and tucking it into his pocket. "Come on, Jake. We should be heading back. See you girls later." He raised his hand in a wave with his back to them.

Jake got up to follow Dan. "Oh and don't let Julie strangle you in your sleep." Dan called over his shoulder. Jake looked apologetically at Runo. "She's got a thing against Sparrows." He informed her before running after Dan.

Runo looked over at the said mentioned girl who sure enough had returned to frowning at Runo. She sighed. 'I'm not going to get much sleep tonight.'

* * *

 **And there you have it. Chapter 6: It's Out!**

 **I really had no idea how to write this other than like this. I tried keeping it to present but that didn't work too well so I decided to take it from future to past back to future. Hope it was still good. ^^**


	8. This Has Got To Stop!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.**

* * *

Chapter 7: This Has Got To Stop!

Pad. Pad. Pad. There was quiet padding in the dorm room. The door opened with a creak and a long length of loose hair swooshed in the light coming from the lit hallways. The door was quietly closed without waking the sleeping figure in the room.

30 minutes later, the door opened again slowly. The figure tiptoed into the room bringing a fresh scent of lavender with her. She dropped a small bag beside her bedside drawers. The figure then moved away from her side and towards the purple duvet bed on the opposite side. Standing at the foot of the bed, she could see the red numbers on the alarm clock on the desk. It read 5:00 AM.

~Time Skip~

"AaaaaHhhhh!" Runo held a hand to her heart which was beating at an erratic speed. It felt like it would burst right out of her chest. It took a while for her to be able to talk normally again. "What the hell Julie?! What are you doing just staring at me like that?" She asked the figure standing at the foot of her bed. She turned over onto her stomach and lay her bloodless face on the pillow, waiting for it to regain its normal colour.

"How would I know if you weren't going to try to kill me in my sleep, **Spar-row.** " Julie asked putting her hands on her hips and pursing her lips. Runo turned her head to look at her, hugging the pillow in her arms and glared. "Because I'm not a psychopath!"

Julie didn't say anything and Runo face-planted back into the pillow again. Her heart was still a mess and she felt horrible. This was the worst way to wake up and on her first day as well. 'Whhhyyy?' She untangled herself from the blanket and threw her legs over the side of the bed. "How long have you been standing there?"

Julie made as if to answer but Runo raised a hand, shaking her head. "I don't want to know." Julie shrugged and moved back to her side of the room. She pulled out a small hand mirror and lip gloss and began applying it as if nothing weird had happened a few seconds ago.

Runo remade her bed, all while keeping an apprehensive eye on her roommate before reluctantly leaving to get ready for the school day. Hoping to regain the few years of life Julie had scared out of her with a cooling shower.

* * *

Headmaster Leltoy walked proudly in the corridors of his beloved school. His hands together behind his back, his head held high, marching through the almost empty corridors. He didn't usually come down to the boys dorms but today was an exception.

He peered at the names on the white-boards stuck on the closed doors until he came to the dorm of two familiar names. He waited a second wondering if they would be awake yet. He then turned the doorknob and the door creaked open. There were two lumpy forms still in bed. He opened the door wide. "RISE AND SHINE BOYS!"

"I'm up." A brunette yelped as he fell out of bed, blanket and all. He fell back into the duvet on the floor and almost instantly fell back asleep, arms and legs pointing in different directions.

-_- The headmaster looked annoyed and nudged Dan awake again. The sleepy boy groaned and turned in his sleep furrowing deeper into the warmth of the duvet. Another nudge but more pointy and sharp had him awake enough to sit up, eyes still closed, moving from side to side groggily but trying not to fall asleep again. He ruffled his hair to wake himself up.

The headmaster then looked at the other lump in the room. "What kind of heavy sleeper is Mr. Vallory. " He asked rhetorically as he marched over and pulled the sheets. There was no one there. 'Huh?'

"Over here." A voice at the door said. The headmaster and Dan still sleepy eyed, turned to see the arrivals. Jake stood there with a blonde boy. Dan ran his hand through his already messed up hair. "Hey, Billy." He yawned, slumping onto the wooden edge of the bed for support.

"Yo Dan. Still sleeping." The new arrival joked. Dan hauled himself up and stretched.

"So what are you doing here Headmaster?" Billy asked turning to the built figure that was their Headmaster. His pink hair made him look less authoritative so the students talked to him like a regular person too.

"I came to see Mr. Kuso." The headmaster said. "What's up?" Dan asked, finally fully awake. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"How are your classes going?" "Good. I guess." Dan said confused. "Only good?" "Um, Yeah?" [A/N This is the exact same conversation I had with my Principal. LOL ^^]

"I want you to pay extra attention this year." "Why?"

"And Billy. You have a good throw." The Headmaster continued not answering Dan's question. "So?" Billy asked. "Keep practising." He said confusing the blonde too. He then turned to the final student in the room. "And Vallory."

"Yes, sir?" Jake stood straight expecting some encouraging words for him as well.

"Make your bed."

Jake fell twenty floors down, figuratively. The headmaster left the room leaving two boys confused and the other on the floor having face-palmed. "What was up with that?" Dan asked. Billy shrugged and tried to pick Jake off of the floor.

* * *

It really made no sense. Julie had waited for Runo so that she could take her for breakfast. Then after they had taken a tray, they had sat down at the same table, opposite each other. One of the many confusing things about girls: I don't trust you but I'm sitting with you.

Julie grabbed an apple and bit into it squinting at Runo and chewing slowly as if implying that was what she would do with Runo. 'Man, this girl can be scary.' Runo thought, picking up her own apple.

"Hey, Babe." A blonde said, walking over to their table and leaning down to kiss Julie on the cheek. Julie didn't respond to the kiss nor acknowledge his arrival. Her gaze transfixed on Runo which is why the blonde realized she was there.

"Hey, I'm Billy." Billy introduced himself, sitting down beside Julie as Jake's familiar presence sat down next to Runo.

"Runo." Runo nodded finding it difficult to ignore the girl sitting opposite her.

"Ah, the Sparrow, right? Jake told me about you." Billy said as a light bulb clicked in his head in realization. Runo once again nodded but she couldn't focus on the conversation the blonde was trying to start.

Billy and Jake looked at each other and then at the two girls. Then they sat in awkward silence while the two girls continued their stare game.

* * *

Dan ran to his class, a backpack slung over his shoulder and an apple in his free hand. He had been late and had only had time to grab an apple and drink a glass of orange juice. His stomach grumbled as he opened the door to the classroom. He caught sight of his friends, Billy and Jake who were perched on the desks. Julie was standing for some reason.

As he neared, he saw the blunette sitting behind a desk with Julie just staring at her. The blunette stared back. There was no conversation. It looked extremely uncomfortable and Jake and Billy sure thought so as they watched the show anxiously.

"Hey guys." Dan said, leaning against the desk Billy was sitting on and taking a bite from his apple. "Hey." The guys greeted. Neither of the two girls acknowledged his presence.

"Did I miss something?"

Jake sent him a look that said 'Do you have to ask?' and then nudging his head in Julie's direction.

Dan sighed. Obviously waking up late, he had missed more than just breakfast. He could tell that Julie was still uneasy with the transfer student. "Dude, control your girlfriend." Dan said jokingly to Billy, elbowing him in the stomach.

"I can't just tell her to stop doing what she's doing." Billy choked out in shock. "How hard could it be?" Dan shrugged. "You wouldn't know!" Billy exclaimed, not wanting to irk his girlfriend.

Dan sighed. Obviously Billy was going to be no help in this situation. Jake was watching the show with the utmost interest. Dan decided to intervene. "Come on guys. Chillax would you." He said putting his hands to both the girls to put something in between them.

Not the right way to go Dan realized as the blunette turned her glare to him. He was surprised and didn't even know he had put his hands up, the way you would to calm someone down.

"Ha! You looked away!" Julie's voice cut in as she pointed triumphantly.

"No way. I demand a rematch." Runo said putting her palms down on the desk and pushing up to a standing position. "Sorry, hun but a wins a win." Julie said inspecting her nails.

"Scared you'll lose?" Runo said mockingly. It would have looked pretty cool if she had crossed her arms and looked like she didn't care, but her eyes burned with fire and she was still in attack mode.

"I can always beat a Sparrow. What will it be?" Julie said also putting her palms down on the desk and leaning in. "English? sports? Cheerleading?" She suggested, naming the subjects out of the top of her head.

"You're on." Runo said crossing her arms.

"Like donkey Kong." Julie added, grinning.

[ In the background of their challenge: "It's a saying." Billy explained to Dan and Jake who looked confused.]

"Wait. Not cheerleading." Runo said dropping her arms to her side realizing her mistake.

"Sorry hun but you agreed."

"That's not even a sport though!" Runo exclaimed as Julie walked off, sashaying in victory. Billy jumped off the desk, shrugging apologetically at Runo before going to sit at the desk beside his girlfriend.

Runo limply sat down in her seat worried and annoyed, while Dan and Jake sweat dropped. 'Cheerleading, of course Julie would pick that...'

* * *

 **Remember to Leave a Review. It'll help me make this story better. ^^ Too slow? Tell me what you think.**


	9. It Is A Sport

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.**

* * *

Chapter 8: It Is A Sport

Runo leaned against the couch, folding her arms waiting for Julie who was strutting in front of her. "Now as you know. Or you don't." Julie added, raising an eyebrow at Runo who rolled her eyes. "Cheerleading takes practise. Something you don't have. So, I'm giving you a whole week to practise." Runo raised an eyebrow. "Why?" She asked suspiciously.

"I just said why!" Julie exclaimed but it came out more like she was hiding something. Runo looked really annoyed right now. Julie turned her back to the girl. "You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of the whole school, right?" She hinted.

"What do you mean, the **whole** school?" Runo asked.

"You'll be performing at the inter-match this Saturday in the break between the match. I have already asked the other cheerleaders and we're willing to share the time for cheer between the match so that you can show your routine then."

"I never agree to do that." Runo exclaimed standing up to face Julie off on the deal.

"Yeah, you did." Julie folded her arms, hip out and hair swung to the front. "You said you would take me on in cheerleading. You didn't actually think it would just be some small shin-ding of the two of us, did you? When I do something, I do it BIG!" Julie spread her arms for emphasis. She paused. "Are you backing out?"

"Course not."

"Then, I guess I'll see you on the mat."

* * *

It was after class and Runo was in the computer room. There were a few other students in the room, playing games or e-mailing. She switched a computer on that was away from the other occupied ones and waited for it to turn on. None of the kids took particular notice of her, too busy with their games or whatever. One student had headphones on as he played a role playing game, eyes inches from the screen and wide from staring at it for so long. Runo could see a forest background and an avatar fighting a creature that resembled a lizard standing with a sword in hand and armour.

She returned to her own screen and typed in Google. Just because she didn't like cheerleading in particular, didn't mean she was going to take the contest lightly. She took all her contests seriously. She wasn't going to lose to an Eagle, especially not Julie.

And as it turns out, cheerleading is considered a sport in most countries. The number of injuries to cheerleaders when doing stunts and flips was **perhaps** more than the injuries to the players on the field...

Runo did a quick Google search for Cheerleading moves and after printing out the papers along with their corresponding pictures, turned the computer off. She looked at the moves in her hand. When she looked back up to see whether the computer had shut down, she was met with the face of a girl with knitted eyebrows and a worried frown reflected in the blackness of the screen. 'This is not a good idea.'

* * *

Runo found herself in a partly empty lounge. It was a weird place for her to be doing what she was doing, but she wasn't sure where else she could practise. Even though she did know where the training rooms were, she wasn't sure who she would have to ask to book the room. Her room was a no-go. She didn't want to run into Julie at the moment. And anyway, she needed a spotter in case one of her moves went wrong. So when Jake had walked in, she had grabbed the chance.

She handed him a copy of the papers she had printed out for herself. "Just tell me if I'm doing this wrong." She instructed as she rolled out a mat she had borrowed from the linen closet.

She stretched her limbs first and then tried the splits. Nope, she got nowhere near the ground. Jake looked at the instructions in his hand and then back at Runo. She wasn't doing anything close to what was shown in the pictures of the cheerleaders.

"Maybe you should start with something easier. Something you already know." Jake said trying to be helpful. Runo sighed and stopped trying to force herself down. She then nodded and took up the sheets lying beside her, flipping through the pages until she came to a section on tumbling. She could do a cartwheel. That was simple enough.

Putting her right leg forward, she leaned towards it and then onto her hands and finally brought her other leg over. Next came the forward roll, she squatted on the ground with her hands and legs on the floor, tucked her chin in and pushed off with her hands and legs, rolling forward until she came back into her squatting position with her arms straight in front of her and got up. "Your form wasn't that good." Jake added making Runo's triumphant face disappear in seconds.

Next was the back bend, spreading her legs, she fell back a bit too quickly, unable to catch herself with her hands in time and fell straight onto the mat, hurting her back. She winced but didn't say anything as she lay down on the mat in quiet pain.

"Maybe you're not flexible enough. Cheerleaders have to be really flexible. Most practise yoga. Maybe you could do that."

Runo thought about it for a second as she picked herself up and straightened her back. "It couldn't hurt to try, right?" Jake nodded, shifting position on the couch.

'Wait. How would he know that?'

* * *

Dan pushed through the double doors to the lounge, and halted before smirking. "Why'd you stop?" Billy asked from behind as he and Julie arrived. They followed Dan's gaze to the lounge floor. Runo was in a very uncomfortable position and was looking upset and annoyed. She had managed to hook her right leg on her right shoulder and now couldn't get it down. Jake was hovering over her looking really worried as she yelled at him to do something.

Her hands were trying to ease the pain in her leg muscles from having them stretched beyond normal, and was keeping her leg up. Her neck was twisted in an angle from the weight of her leg. This further complicated things for poor Jake.

"Hey, Whatchya doing?" Dan asked, his smirk not leaving his face as he leaned on the back of the couch. Jake stepped away from the tangled girl, relief crossing his face as he asked Dan for help.

Runo realized Julie was also there. She put on a calm face, to cover up her obvious pain. "I was practising yoga. It's good for you." She said. Her leg flopped down back to her side and she sighed in relief. 'Man that hurt.' She thought as she crossed her legs in a swami position as if she had been in complete control. Jake sweat dropped. "But Runo, you.." "practising yoga!" She cut in.

Dan picked up the papers Jake had left on the couch when he had rushed to help Runo. Julie peered over his shoulder. Dan raised an eyebrow at Julie.

Julie sighed remembering the conversation she had had with Dan and Billy on their way here. "You know Runo, you can come and watch us if you like. We have practise right now." "I.. er..think I'll pass..." Runo said apprehensively looking at Julie.

"We have baseball right now. You can watch with Jake." Dan said. "It's not like you have anything else to do right now, is it?" Dan asked. Runo looked down at the mat she had been practising on and thought of the soreness in her leg muscles. "I guess." She said, getting up wincing. She didn't see Dan's amused smile which was a good thing because she would have turned the offer down.

She rolled the mat up and put it in a corner for her to put away later. She then followed the group out of the lounge and to the field at the side of the school. It was a big field, the lines chalked out in white against the fresh grass. "I usually sit over there." Jake said, pointing to the bleachers. Runo nodded and led them up to a part of the bleachers where it would look like she was watching the match but she could also see the squad between the guys plays. There were other students there too. Mainly girls. 'I wonder why Jake would sit for this?' She thought as she handed him a notepad and pen.

"What's this for?" "I need you to write down what the cheerleaders do."

"I can't watch them! They'll think I'm some kind of creep." Jake said aghast. His eyes searched out the cheerleaders squad and perhaps a cheerleader in particular.

"Well, I can't write it down because then Julie will know that I need their help and she'll never let me live it down. I'll watch and you just have to write down everything I say." Runo pleaded, ignoring where or whom he was engrossed by.

"Okay." Jake slumped. Runo shrugged off his weird behaviour as she concentrated on the field, her eyes catching Dan at the hitter's position with a bat carelessly slung on his shoulder, waiting for Billy to take aim. It was behind him that the cheerleaders along with Julie were practising.

* * *

On the field Dan swung at the ball, hitting it straight on. "Way to go Dan!" He smiled and looked over at the cheerleaders. They were doing high kicks. He reverted his gaze to the bleachers and instantly spotted Jake and Runo. Jake had his head down scribbling something hurriedly. And Runo was..watching him? Nah. The cheerleaders are behind him. That's what she's watching. "Nice throw Billy." He called out as he took batting position again.

~Time Skip~

Dan dried his damp hair with a white towel and joined Jake who was hunching over a notepad on his bed. "I forgot to give this back to Runo." Jake said as Dan leaned down to look at the papers. "So Runo took note of the cheerleading moves." Dan said to himself as he flipped through the pages.

"Jake, why did you write that down?" Dan asked, pointing to a sentence that weren't instructions for a stunt but were spoken words.

"Runo said it and I was told to write down everything she says."

Dan looked at the sentence again and smiled amused. 'Way to go Dan!'

So she had been watching after all...

* * *

 **Okay, I realize I'm probably awful at romance. Unfortunately for you guys, I'm not going to stop trying. Yep, expect a whole lot more of lousiness.**

 **And Runo's pain in this chapter is for her previous comment on cheerleading not being a sport.**

 **Runo: Even though in reality you're the one who said it.**

 **Me: For story purposes only. I hope no cheerleaders took offense.**


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